Symrise strengthens its position in the Chinese fragrance market and inaugurates The Little Red House, an intimate, immersive and collaborative creation hub in the heart of Shanghai. Located within an iconic building designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, this unique and inspiring space is a new place for fragrance creation to spark ideas and co-create in real time.

A modern showcase for creativity

Located in the Xuhui district, The Little Red House is Symrise's new creative center dedicated to the Asian market, inaugurated on May 18 in the presence of Ricardo Omori, Deputy President of the Fragrance Division, Eder Ramos, Global President of the Fragrance Division, perfumers Alexandra Carlin and Maxime Exler and other key members of the Symrise team. The name refers to the Symrise logo and the red walls of the iconic The Roof building, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel to capture the quintessential soul of Shanghai. 

Dedicated to fragrance creation, market research, creative arts and olfactory culture, The Little Red House will be the venue for exclusive events and cultural programs such as masterclasses, meetings with perfumers and trend conferences aimed at learning, connecting and sharing knowledge. Symrise customers, perfume enthusiasts, influencers and journalists will be able to exchange ideas in this collaborative space and be nourished by genuine creative energy.

"China is a strategic market for Symrise. We inaugurated a new R&D center in 2019 in Pudong, invested €200 million in a new factory that opened in 2020 in Nantong. Now, The Little Red House offers us a dedicated space to co-create with our local and international customers, and showcase many of our high-tech skills. The Little Red House marks Symrise's continued expansion and the reinvention of fine fragrances in Asia, says Ricardo Omori.

"We believe it's important to be at the forefront of innovation and to listen to our customers. Like L'Appartement Étoile in Paris, The Little Red House is strategically located in the center of Shanghai and will enable us to be closer to our customers, while offering a modern ambience that leaves room for creativity."says Julianne Pruett, Global President Fine Fragrance.

A new Laire base to celebrate fine perfumery and China

To celebrate the opening of The Little Red House and pay homage to China, perfumers David Apel (USA), Maxime Exler (China) and Suzy Le Helley (France) worked to rework an iconic Laire base, Piviane, to offer a new, modern interpretation. The new base was previewed at the inauguration.

The new Piviane Impériale DL takes up the leathery signature of the emblematic Piviane, in which the animalic note has been replaced by a gentle smoky sensation to create an intoxicating, delicate floral scent. A blend of natural and synthetic ingredients, and exclusive Symrise captives, Piviane Impériale highlights Mada- gascar vetiver and longonza, artichoke Symtrap and Symrose.^* and Sympep^**. "This new Laire base is the quintessence of floral sophistication, a chiaroscuro between a luminous, flowery peony wrapped in a smoky, leathery facet. The ultimate touch of majestic femininity. A celebration of fine perfumery and China," says Symrise.

"It was an extraordinary journey to dive back into the world of Laire, even more so for a project like this. We modernized the base by replacing the signature animal leather with a smoky facet. To achieve this, I played with our new Sym-pep captive and a touch of longoza refreshed the floral heart. The result is still a floral explosion, with a unique premium touch, which is ultimately what Laire bases are all about."explains David Apel.

"Having spent the last two years in China, this new base is a true tribute to Chinese beauty and its love of fragrance. I love exploring new ingredients and challenging myself, so in addition to our Symrose captive, I was keen to add Artichoke Symtrap which brought a unique fresh note."says Maxime Exler.

The contrast between the delicacy of the flowers and the leatheriness of the original base has always fascinated me. In Piviane Impériale DL, I wanted to play with our elegant Madagascar vetiver, which adds a sublime smoky note. In this way, we were able to preserve this astonishing contrast in a new, gender-neutral interpretation.explains Suzy Le Helley.

_{* A complex floral ingredient that enhances the naturalness and radiance of floral fragrances with an intense note of rose, very natural and clean, with a light touch of geranium and lily of the valley.}

_{** Natural aromatic composition obtained by a patented process from an essential oil with woody, peppery notes with moss, balsamic and patchouli facets.}

_{Photo:
From left to right: Ricardo Omori (Deputy President, Fragrance Division), Karim Lisi (VP Business Development, Fine Fragrance APAC Division), Eder Ramos (Global President, Fragrance Division).}

The Serge Lutens brand has chosen The Oz to help optimize its digital and e-commerce offering, including the redesign of its French, European, US and UK sites.

Founded in 2008, The Oz (formerly The Other Store) advises and supports brands in fully exploiting their digital sales potential by developing unique expertise in omnichannel e-commerce.

With the internationalization of its business, Serge Lutens is looking to accelerate its e-commerce development and offer visitors to its website an experience tailored to the specific needs of consumers in each of these four zones, as an extension of what the brand already offers in-store: a voyage of the senses in a veritable showcase of luxury.

An emblematic universe and experience

Steeped in Eastern cultures, notably Japan and Morocco, Serge Lutens captures the essence of these cultures in his creations.

Going against the grain of the beauty industry, Serge Lutens attaches particular importance to the experience it offers its customers. in situ A resolutely different and original approach.

The brand chose The Oz for its digitalization. Its mission: to reproduce the essence of Serge Lutens, with its japanese lines and Moroccan colors, on the web, while offering online visitors a smooth, pleasant browsing and sales experience. Four websites are involved: the French and European markets, as well as the UK and US markets.

Relying on the expertise of The Oz, Serge Lutens intends to anchor its brand in an efficient and comprehensive e-commerce experience: from acquisition strategy (SEA, SEO, CRM...) to replateformring from Magento to Shopify, including inventory management, e-merchandising, sales and marketing action plan. Serge Lutens aims to accelerate its online growth.

" The last redesign of the Serge Lutens sites took place in 2018, over 5 years ago and above all before Covid, so it was quite natural for us to begin this project with The Oz. While we had substantial specifications and time constraints linked to the approach of the end of the year - an unavoidable commercial highlight for our business - The Oz enabled us to bring to fruition a unique user experience, responding to the specific expectations of consumers in four distinct geographical zones, thanks to a new design and rethought ergonomics, as well as new services for our customers, all while faithfully respecting the creative DNA of our brand. This has enabled us to generate growth of almost 30 % over the previous year, and our traffic and conversion rates are experiencing a similar dynamic. "says Cécile Robin, eBusiness Director EMEA for the Shiseido Group.

The Oz conquers new markets

The Oz's support is based on a panel of Shopify and proprietary modules and tech tools to enable companies to develop new business opportunities, build customer loyalty and reach their full digital potential.

For nearly 14 years, The Oz, which has been awarded the distinction of Shopify Plus Partner, has supported major French and international brands in the deployment of their online sales business: Des Petits Hauts, Déco Cuir, Cyrillus, Gérard Darel, la fée maraboutée... and is now strengthening its beauty expertise by supporting the Serge Lutens brand in the optimization of its e-commerce offering.

" We're very excited about this collaboration with Serge Lutens, an absolute reference in the world of fragrance and beauty, a sector for which the experience provided to its customers is a major issue. As e-commerce experts, we have a clear role to play in this market in "converting" this experience from the physical to the digital, which is perfectly in line with our strategy of conquering new territories. "comments David Sobel, co-founder of The Oz.